Microsoft can convert Android phones into Windows 10 devices

Got an Android phone? Like what you see up there? Windows 10 is due out this summer, and Microsoft is bringing it to all sorts of devices - even Android phones. Yes, really.

It appears that Microsoft is currently testing a custom ROM for Android devices that’ll effectively turn them into fully-enabled Windows 10 machines, letting them tap into the same services as phones manufactured to support Microsoft’s upcoming OS.

Microsoft shared the news today while announcing the release date, noting that “power users” of the Xiaomi Mi4 Android phone (seen below) were testing out Windows 10. TechCrunch checked with its sources, who confirmed that the software is akin to CyanogenMod and other custom ROMs that totally overhaul the phone’s UI.

According to the report, it won’t be a dual-boot scenario, but rather one in which Windows 10 replaces the OS on the device. Xiaomi’s skinned version of Android already has a fervent community in China, so it seems that Microsoft is trying to tap into that to get this mobile transition release off the ground.

“As part of the Windows Insider Program, Microsoft will partner with Xiaomi to offer Windows 10 free downloads to a select group of Xiaomi Mi4 users,” reads a Microsoft statement. “Xiaomi Mi4 users will get the ability to flash their phones with the new Windows 10 OS and provide feedback to Xiaomi and Microsoft on their experience.”

Surely, once the initial testing is done on the Mi4, Microsoft will seek to spread its OS onto other Android phones, not to mention in further markets. The company seems intent on getting Windows 10 onto as many devices as possible, as to benefit from users tapping into its software and services, and this is certainly an interesting way to help expand that.